A) Does your brother know everything? If he knows what is going on then he is more likely to be understanding. It’s important to keep him in the loop so he knows what’s happening and how you are doing. If you are not well enough to get in touch with him, talk to your parents about how you feel and ask them to pass messages onto him. Maybe you could arrange for him to visit you in hospital and have some time to yourselves to have a chat or just do something fun.
A) It’s really good that you have your own questions, and want to talk more during your appointments. At 15, the hospital should be beginning to discuss with you and your parents about the transition process and moving through to adult services. You might be asked to attend part of your appointment on your own.
You may want to be honest with your parents and talk to them about being more independent, as they will hopefully be really proud of you.
A) It may be a good idea to talk to your parents about how you are feeling. They may not be aware of how they make you feel. If you’re not able to, try talking to someone else that you trust and see if they can help. Your teachers and friends might not understand your liver condition. You can order a CLDF schools pack so that they can read up and learn a bit more.
A good way to get your mates and school to feel more at ease about your liver condition is to organise something for Big Yellow Friday. You can raise awareness about liver diseases and having fun at the same time. The most important thing is that you talk to someone about this and take small steps to getting some normality back.
A) There are ‘invisible dangers’ of breathing in smoke from other peoples’ cigarettes. Second hand smoke stays around for 2½ hours even in a ventilated room and may not be seen or smelt. Young people are particularly affected by second hand smoke because their bodies are still growing. Why not try and talk to your parents about how you are feeling, and one of the best things you can do to protect yourself from passive smoking is to encourage them to smoke outside.
Some liver diseases are associated with respiratory problems, for example cystic fibrosis and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (Alpha-1). If you have either of these conditions, you should avoid smoking or passive smoking as there is an increased risk to your health.
